Editing Non-combatant (section)

=== Geneva Conventions ===
The [[Geneva Conventions]] started on April 21, 1949, and were concluded on August 12. The purpose of the Conventions was to establish protections afforded to protected non-combatants in wartime, including civilians under [[military occupation]]s and prisoners of war.<ref name="FWAFD"/> Article 4 of the [[Fourth Geneva Convention]] defines that civilians who "find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands of a Party to the conflict or Occupying Power of which they are not nationals" are [[protected persons]]. Not included in the status of protected persons are the belligerent's citizens and nationals of a state not party to the Fourth Geneva Convention, and [[neutral country|neutral]] citizens living in a [[belligerent]] country and [[Co-belligerence|co-belligerent]] (i.e., allied) persons as long their state of nationality maintains diplomatic relations with a belligerent power.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/gciv-1949/article-4|title=Article 4 - Definition of protected persons|website=International Humanitarian Law Datebases}}</ref>

Article 42 of [[Protocol I]] states that [[Attacks on parachutists|aircrews who are parachuting from aircraft in distress cannot be attacked]] regardless of what territory they are over. If aircrews land in territory controlled by the enemy, they must be allowed to [[surrender (military)|surrender]] before being attacked unless it is apparent that they are engaging in a hostile act or attempting to escape. [[Airborne forces]] who are descending by [[parachute]] from an aircraft, whether it is disabled or not, are not given the protection afforded by this Article and, therefore, may be attacked during their descent unless they are ''[[hors de combat]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/470-750051?OpenDocument|title=Treaties, States parties, and Commentaries - Additional Protocol (I) to the Geneva Conventions, 1977 - 42 - Occupants of aircraft|website=ihl-databases.icrc.org|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref>

Article 50 of Protocol 1 defines a civilian as a person who is not a privileged combatant. Article 51 describes the protection that must be given to civilians (unless they are [[unprivileged combatant]]s) and civilian populations. Article 54 deals with the Protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population and is categorical that "Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited." Chapter III of Protocol I regulates the targeting of civilian objects. Article 8(2)(b)(i) of the [[Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court]] also prohibits attacks directed against civilians.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Article.xsp?action=openDocument&documentId=E1F8F99C4C3F8FE4C12563CD0051DC8A|title=Treaties, States parties, and Commentaries - Additional Protocol (I) to the Geneva Conventions, 1977 - 50 - Definition of civilians and civilian population|website=ihl-databases.icrc.org|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/1a13044f3bbb5b8ec12563fb0066f226/5e5142b6ba102b45c12563cd00434741|title=Treaties, States parties, and Commentaries - Additional Protocol (I) to the Geneva Conventions, 1977 - 51 - Protection of the civilian population - Commentary of 1987|website=ihl-databases.icrc.org|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref>

While not all [[State (polity)|states]] have ratified Protocol I or the Rome Statute, these provisions reiterated existing customary laws of war which are binding for all belligerents in an international conflict.<ref>Customary laws of war:

* {{cite web|url=http://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_cha_chapter1_rule3|title=Customary IHL: Rule 3. Definition of Combatants|author=ICRC|publisher=International Committee of the Red Cross|access-date=1 April 2014}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_rul_rule48|title=Customary IHL: Practice Relating to Rule 48. Attacks against Persons Parachuting from an Aircraft in Distress|author=ICRC|publisher=International Committee of the Red Cross|access-date=1 April 2014}}</ref>

Article 3 in the general section of the [[Geneva Conventions]] states that in the case of armed conflict not of an international character (occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties) that each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions to "persons taking no active part in the hostilities" (non-combatants).<ref name="GCIV Art 3">{{cite web|url=http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/385ec082b509e76c41256739003e636d/6756482d86146898c125641e004aa3c5|title=Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949.|author=Plenipotentiaries|publisher=International Committee of the Red Cross|access-date=1 April 2014}}</ref> Such persons shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, with the following prohibitions:<ref name="GCIV Art 3"/>
:(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment, and torture
:(b) taking of [[hostage]]s 
:(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment
:(d) the passing of [[Sentence (law)|sentences]] and the carrying out of [[executions]] without previous judgement pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|url=https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/WebART/365-570006?OpenDocument|title=Treaties, States parties, and Commentaries - Geneva Convention (I) on Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field,1949 - 3 - Conflicts not of an international character|website=ihl-databases.icrc.org|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref>